A few easy tips to make sure your family travels are memorable for all the right reasons

I spent years arguing that keeping children tethered into cars on road trips by handing them a screen or playing endless loops of Frozen or FindingNemo was bad for them. I surrender. Achieving peace on a family road trip is like making a soufflé: even with all the right ingredients, it only takes one distracted door slam to bring the whole thing tumbling down.

With vehicles more fuel efficient than ever and the cost of that fuel still affordable, many will be avoiding the nightmares that are airports at March Break and hitting the road. Whether you have a full size minivan with all the connectivity in the world, or a subcompact with just enough room for two car seats in the back, there are ways to make your trek more enjoyable, or at least less stressful.

Tune it up If you’ve left this too late, at least check your fluid levels and your tires. Do a thorough walk around and test all the lights. Make sure your wiper blades are doing a good job; this time of year can throw a lot of weather at you.

Clean it up Vacuum out the winter. Sure, it’s only going to get messed up again, but starting with a clean car makes a big difference. If your vehicle is new, consider seat covers, especially in the back. Now isn’t the time to be getting bent out of shape over dropped food and spilled juice. Make sure all cupholders and compartments are clean and empty; you’ll need them.

Test it out Make sure the systems you’re about to rely on are working, and check out headsets. Climb in the backseat and see what your child sees. Many of us grew up in a time when kids could sit up front for a change of scenery or because of sibling warfare. Now, most under age 12 don’t have that option, so be familiar with where they’re being held captive.

Sign up for roadside assistance The program you got with your new car usually expires before the payments and the warranty does, so make sure you have CAA or something similar lined up. Run through a what-if scenario: if you have a major breakdown, it might make more sense to rent a car where you are and have yours towed home rather than end your vacation or spend precious time waiting on parts and repair in an unfamiliar place. It may seem costly, but ditching a long-planned family vacation might not be worth it.

Pack strategically Bags end up being jumbled as you fit everything in, but make sure at least one bag is within arm’s reach. This is the bag with everybody’s meds, wet wipes, ziplock bags, spare glasses, basic first aid, and device chargers. If you have really young ’uns, keep a change of clothes in here, too. Let kids bring a pillow from home, and put several pillowcases on it so you can easily freshen it up on the fly.

Honour thy digestive system Sitting for long periods of time and eating a lot of road food (if you yelled into a clown’s mouth to get it, you’ll probably regret it) can make for crabby passengers whose systems are out of sorts. Hit the grocery store instead of the drive-thru, and pre-pack grapes, almonds, trail mix, jelly beans, carrots and the like. Make everybody their own because no, they’re not going to share.

Speaking of sitting: get out Stop more often than you’d planned to, or more often than you’re used to when you travel alone. Every stop doesn’t have to be an excuse to spend money; take advantage of marked roadside pull-overs to see great scenery, and let little legs (and big ones) stretch frequently.

Switch up the driving Unless your partner’s driving makes you absolutely batty, work in shifts. Driving takes a lot of concentration, but so does wrangling kids. If you’re the one driving, focus on that. If you’re in charge of the backseat, don’t distract your driver with nonsense.

Ignore the pee request at your peril You may have a bladder like a camel, but don’t punish the rest of your team by making it a weakness when someone has to go. Devise a system – like a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is I’m going to have to stop in twenty minutes, to 10, which is pretty much hand me the empty Gatorade container.

Relax and take lots of pictures These are the stories your kids will talk about as they get older, and it’s also how they will learn to deal with their own families. Besides, before you know it, they’ll be asking to stay home. Make the most of it while you can.